we all fall down
by deadpan riot
Summary: Dante goes to England to get away from it all, only to come to the conclusion that he should have put more thought into his travel plans.  rated for some violence against kid!vampire mobs


Disclaimer: Yeeeea, I own nothing. Though if I did, you can bet there'd be a secret level in DMC were you have to fight Alucard's crazy ass. It would just go on, and on, and on...

**We All Fall Down**

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><p><em>One two three four, ring around the rosy, pockets full of posies<em>

Dante scowled, the only thing he really could do, given the situation. He'd faced countless hordes of demons, stood his ground against enemies bigger than a house, all with a smirk on his face and a cocky lilt to his taunts. But this, this was worse than anything he'd been forced to stare down over the barrel of a gun.

_Five six seven eight, ashes, ashes, we all fall down_

He'd gone abroad for vacation, and yes, a bit of side work, but this wasn't what he'd had in mind. He'd picked England primarily so he wouldn't have to bother with a foreign language. Next time, he'd put more thought into his travel plans.

_Nine ten, do it once again_

Echoes kicking off the walls of the alley died away slowly, ghosting against his nerves as he locked eyes with the last living target. Well, living was a bit of a stretch. Wide, hazel eyes stared back, filled with innocent ignorance and an inhuman hunger that sent chills up his spine.

A little girl shouldn't have the eyes of a monster.

His arm rose of its own accord, bringing the gun to stare the child coolly between the eyes. She whimpered, backing up to huddle against the wall. His finger tightened around the trigger, hating desperately the _thing_ responsible for this.

"Help…me…"

His scowl deepened. He wasn't stupid; he knew there was nothing he could do for her, save put a bullet between her eyes. He'd watched enough monster movies to know as much. He steadied the arm that had shifted during his contemplations, but too late. The girl had already leapt, screeching like a banshee. Seconds before he pulled the trigger, her head exploded into a shower of gore. The noise generated by the shot was nearly deafening in the enclosed space, making it harder to tell where it had come from.

"And you were doing so well…"

Dante turned, finding the owner of both the voice and the gun standing in the shadows. He couldn't see the man very well, but he doubted that had anything to do with the way his skin was crawling.

"Yea well, you'll have to forgive me. I'm not used to having to light up a group of little kids."

Light glinted eerily off teeth exposed in a nasty smile, what Dante assumed were glasses flashing as the man shifted.

"Were they?"

"Were they what?"

"'Little kids.'"

Dante eyed the man warily. "What, you blind?" He highly doubted it, although that would explain the whole sunglasses at night thing.

"Blind?" The stranger chuckled, the hairs on the back of Dante's neck rising in trepidation. "No. However I would suggest you get your eyes checked, seeing children where there are only monsters." As he spoke the man moved from the shadows, gait languid as he stepped through the mess Dante had made.

"Oh yea? Maybe you should take off those glasses and take a look around." He motioned to the bodies strewn about, gun still in hand. "Pretty damn sure those were kids."

"Of course they _were_. However I fail to recall ever trying to tear apart grown men when _I _was a child. Well…."

Dante was now close enough to realize how _toothy_ the man's grin was, eyes moving between the mess at his feet and the stranger dressed in a dated suit and red duster. He made up his mind, which was really just going with his gut instinct, and raised his twin guns.

The man didn't even try to defend himself.

It took four bullets to the head and twelve to the torso before the guy dropped like a rock, body making a sickening splat against the concrete as it hit. Dante waited, seriously wishing he'd gone to Fiji like Trish and Lady had suggested. He'd much rather be shooting down colorful drinks he couldn't pronounce the name of.

The body twitched, and before his eyes melded into the shadows. He shot off a few rounds where he assumed the mess had fled to, senses on high alert. The silence that descended was almost unnatural in its entirety, the buildings sufficiently muffling any outside city noise.

"Too quite." He mumbled softly to himself, eyes roving over every possible hiding place.

"_Hardly_."

Dante spun, gun firing before he'd even set eyes on the man who'd breathed the word against his neck. Instead of meeting flesh, Ebony's projectile was sent harmlessly into the sky as his forearm was yanked up and away. His gaze was met with a mouth filled with far too many canines, lips twisted in a maniacal grin. Burning crimson eyes gazed back, no longer hidden behind glasses of similar coloring.

"You may not be as loud as a human, half devil, but your noise is still enough to fill this space."

Dante managed to get off a singular round before his other arm was yanked unceremoniously away.

"Hm, you are neither a civilian, a human, nor one of my Master's men. I wonder, do American's taste like their British counterparts?"

Dante kicked at his captor's legs, which unfortunately had quite the opposite effect than the one he was hoping for. Instead of dropping the gangly man, thereby gaining freedom, he was yanked closer, making the idea of freedom seem much farther away.

Laughter rumbled in the broad chest as the man, no, _monster_ leant closer, silken black strands and cold breath alike ghosting across his cheek.

"If I wasn't ordered to be in a hurry, I'd let you loose, just to see what you'd do. It's been centuries since I've had a worthy opponent, and even longer since I've met a hunter who willingly hunts his kin."

Dante struggled against the iron grip, knowing if he didn't trigger now, he was likely to have his throat ripped out.

"Master!"

A bullet followed the accusing tone down from the roofs above, tearing a neat little hole through the semi-psychotic monster's head, and splattering his brains against a brick wall for the second time that night.

Dante blinked, staring off into space just long enough for it to register that he was no longer being held hostage.

By then, he was no longer alone. Well, alone by way of ignoring the bullet riddled weirdo at his feet.

"I'm so sorry, are you alright sir? My Master didn't hurt you did he?"

Dante stared blankly at the buxom blonde, and the large rifle strapped to her back.

"Uhm, sir?"

In a flash, as if by the magic flipping of a switch in his brain, Dante was back and fully ready to appreciate the pretty young thing standing before him.

"Don't fret that pretty little head of yours, you saved me just in the nick of time." He flashed her both a wink, and a cheeky smile. She blushed, and he couldn't help noticing that even with the added color to her cheeks, she was far paler then she should have been.

"Uhm, don't mention it, Mister….uhm…"

"Dante." He swept her hand up, pressing his lips against the too cool skin of her knuckles. "Pleasure to meet you, miss...?"

The girl chuckled, clearly unused to such attentions. "Seras. Seras Victoria."

"_Police Girl_…"

Seras went rigid, big blue eyes getting even larger as a gloved hand dropped from nowhere to clasp her shoulder. Dante's hand immediately jumped to the hilt of Rebellion, wondering what in the hell it would take to kill the man currently pulling himself out of the wall.

"Y-yes, M-master?"

He flashed her the most threatening smile Dante had ever seen on a human face. "What have I told you about interrupting my meals?"

"But Master, Sir Integra said-"

"Now now, Police Girl, I'm well aware of what my Master did and did not say."

"But-"The hand not on her shoulder clamped itself firmly over her mouth.

"No more buts. Now," Red eyes flashed to Dante, who'd been slowly backing away from the two. "Where were we?"

Dante glanced at Seras, who was looking quite indignant. She spoke again, words muffled but none the less re-catching her Master's attention.

"Hm? I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. You'll have to speak up."

After a brief struggle, Seras managed to pry the hand off her face enough to speak clearly. "I _said_, Sir Integra's going to be angry with you if you ignore her orders and spend the night tearing apart something other than the vampires we're supposed to be taking out."

The man motioned boredly to the rotting corpses strewn about. "It would seem your _friend_ here took care of the ankle biters, all that's left are the cowards hiding in that warehouse over there. Why don't you go ahead and _introduce _yourself to them…"

"Master-"

He pushed her toward the warehouse at the end of the alley, waving pleasantly as she huffed then did as she was told.

With a last grumbled warning, she disappeared into the shadows cast by the warehouse door.

Slowly, the man turned back to Dante, hair dancing wildly in nonexistent wind, air of feigned compliance melting away within seconds. His grip tightened on Rebellion, smirk sliding easily onto his lips. This, he could deal with.

"Come on!" Dante taunted, motioning the man to him.

With a laugh the enormous silver gun was pulled from the depths of the red duster. "With pleasure."

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><p>an: this tried to be serious, but Dante and Alucard couldn't quite let it.

until they meet again...

deadpan_riot


End file.
